


From The Depths

by DepressingGreenie



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Cecaelias, M/M, Octo Tony, Pre-Slash, merfolk, merman steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 05:43:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17543807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DepressingGreenie/pseuds/DepressingGreenie
Summary: Against his better judgement Steve decides to visit the surface... and gets caught in a net.





	From The Depths

**Author's Note:**

> For the Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt [“Trapped in a Net” [D4]](https://darthbloodorange.tumblr.com/post/182240937470/here-is-your-card-for-bad-things-happen-bingo)

This was it. It was all over.

By the great spear of Nereus! What was he thinking? And he risked it all for what? A glimpse at the sun.

This was why you didn’t visit the surface. This is why. His mother warned him tirelessly about surface dwellers.  

As much as Steve struggled he was not getting free. The net was sharp and caught on his scales painfully. He could barely move. Barely breathe. All he could do was sit and wait. But for what? To be eaten? Or did the surface dwellers still use them for sacrifice.

Steve was slowly tiring. He wasn’t getting out of this one, was he? And Bucky wasn’t around to save him this time. Desperately he tries clawing and biting at the net to no avail.

Movement below him catches his attention. A flash of deep maroon moving in the shadows. Steve shifts awkwardly to try and get a look. Two sharp red eyes peer at him from the dark depths below.

He was no longer sure if it would be the surface dwellers that would be his end. Not willing to go down without a fight Steve flared out his gills in warning and hissed. But to no affect. Those eyes continued to stare from the dark shadows.

Steve feels his gills quiver as he swallows thickly. He tries clawing at the net again, putting his whole body into it. His tail thrashes wildly as he tries to brake himself free. He can feel scales being torn off his body as he struggles. Steve pushes that to the back of his mind. Right now he needs to focus on his escape.

A sharp clicking echoes from below. Steve goes still and looks down. From the dark waters beneath a dark haired Cecaelia emerges, his tentacles reaching out toward him.

Steve’s world goes dark as the man encases the net. He can feel the tentacles move across the mesh, twisting, pulling. Testing it for weaknesses. The clicking noise starts again, coming from the man’s chest. It sounds almost frustrated in its note.

There is a jolt, then the net gives. Steve quickly escapes the net and swims down away from the surface.

He perches himself on a ravine ledge and looks over the damage done by the net. His hands shake as he carefully runs his hands over his tail. He was free. Steve sighs in relief.

The sand shifts beside his as the Cecaelian man sits next to him.

“Thank you” he says, hopping the man spoke his tongue. What was a Cecaelia even doing in these parts? He thought they were more coastal dwelling, not here in the cool ocean depths.

“Yeah… That. Don’t do that. Again. Ever.” The man says, giving him an assessing look. His dark red tentacles shift around restlessly.

Steve sighs. “Yeah.” he says. As if he would ever try that again.

The man doesn’t let up on the stare. “Why did you want to anyway?” The man asks with a frown.

“A surface dweller ship crashed not far off from here” he says. That seemed to get the guy’s interest. “It was filled with treasure. But… There was this inking…” Steve can feel his face heat in embarrassment. “It was a scene of the ocean but from above. I hadn’t seen anything like it. It was strange and beautiful. I just… wanted to see it for myself. Wondered what the sun is like.”

“Well? Everything you had hoped?” the man asks, seeming genuinely intrigued.

“I never got to…” Steve admits sadly.

The man sighs. “Maybe one day I could help you with that” he says.

“You would?” Steve asks, shocked.

“Yeah. I know a few tricks” The man says with a smirk. “I’m Tony, by the way. Tony Stark”

**Author's Note:**

> I nearly thought of reversing there positions for this, but didn't.  
> I love the idea of Tony being Cecaelia due to how smart Octopi are. And that they are not only smart, but really good at opening things and escaping (Or letting things escape)... I thought it would be best with the roles as they are.  
> It kind of reminds me of a documentary I saw on crab fishing. The fishers had a problem of the Octopi braking into their crab nets and eating their crabs (And escaping afterwards). But here is a octopus freeing a fish from a net to set free.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [In the Deep](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879711) by [dreamkist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamkist/pseuds/dreamkist)




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